Chapter 5 - THE SHADOW IN THE PARK
The autumn breeze felt icy against Sophia’s skin as she and Mia walked briskly away from the high-rise office building. Within ten minutes of walking out on Richard, Sophia’s credit cards were declined at a local coffee shop, and a remote command from the luxury car dealership locked her Porsche electronically.
Richard had wasted no time carrying out his threat.
"He cut you off completely," Mia said guiltily as they sat on a wooden bench in a crowded downtown park. "Sophia, I'm so sorry. You gave up your entire life of luxury for me."
"Don't you ever apologize for that, Mia," Sophia said fiercely, wrapping her coat tighter around herself. "Money means nothing if it’s built on lies. Richard’s reaction proved one thing—he is terrified of what we might find out."
"Where do we go from here?" Mia asked, looking around nervously. "We have no car, no money, and nowhere to go."
"I have a secret savings account my grandmother set up for me before she died," Sophia revealed, lowering her voice. "Richard doesn't have access to it. It’s enough for us to rent a small apartment and hire a private investigator. But first, we need to find out about St. Jude’s Hospital."
Mia nodded. "My adoptive mother, Clara Vance, worked as an emergency room nurse at St. Jude’s for twenty years. If there are old medical records or staff who remember the night of our parents' accident, that's where we'll find them."
As they spoke, Mia felt a strange prickle at the back of her neck—the undeniable feeling of being watched.
She glanced subtly toward the perimeter of the park. Standing near a hot dog stand about fifty yards away was a tall man in a dark grey trench coat and a black baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. He was holding a cell phone to his ear, but his eyes were locked directly onto them.
"Sophia," Mia whispered softly, keeping her gaze forward. "Don't look now, but the man by the food vendor... he’s been following us since we left your father’s building."
Sophia shifted slightly, using her compact mirror to check behind them. "You're right. Richard sent someone to tail us."
"What do we do?" panic surged in Mia's chest.
"We move," Sophia said calmly. "There’s a subway entrance at the south end of the park. On three, we walk fast. When we hit the stairs, we run."
"One... two... three!"
The sisters stood up simultaneously and walked quickly toward the subway station. Behind them, the man in the trench coat immediately quickened his pace, shoving past pedestrians as he pursued them.
"He's coming!" Mia gasped.
They broke into a sprint, weaving through the crowded sidewalk. They darted down the concrete stairs into the bustling subway station, sliding through the turnstiles just as a train pulled up to the platform, its doors sliding open.
"Get in!" Sophia shouted.
They leaped through the doors just as the train chimes sounded. The heavy metal doors closed tightly behind them.
Through the glass window of the subway car, Mia watched as the man in the trench coat reached the platform seconds too late. He raised his phone and took a rapid series of photographs of both sisters through the window before the train accelerated into the dark subway tunnel.
"That was too close," Mia breathed, leaning against the subway pole, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"He was taking photos of us," Sophia noted, her jaw set tight. "Richard isn't just watching us—he's building a file. He wants to know every move we make."
"Why?" Mia asked, holding her silver locket tightly in her palm. "If our parents died in a simple car crash twenty-two years ago, why would Richard care so much about keeping us apart? Why would he track us like criminals?"
"Because my adoptive father is a liar," Sophia said darkly. "And whatever secret he’s hiding... it’s big enough that he’s willing to destroy his own daughter to protect it."
The train hurtled through the subterranean darkness toward the hospital district. The sisters sat close together, knowing that they were no longer just searching for their past—they were running for their lives.
Meanwhile, back at the Sterling Estate, Ethan sat in his father’s study. His father, Julian Sterling, sat across from him, sipping scotch while looking over a confidential legal dossier.
"Did Richard manage to handle the girl?" Julian asked in a gravelly voice.
"No," Ethan replied nervously, pulling at his collar. "She refused the money. Sophia took her side and walked out. They’re looking into the St. Jude records."
Julian’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. He set his glass down on the mahogany desk with a sharp thump.
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"If those girls discover what Arthur Vance was working on before he died," Julian warned coldly, "it won't just ruin Richard. It will destroy the entire Sterling empire. Handle this, Ethan. By any means necessary."
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